Tag Archives: 10-10-2012

Director of Manatee County Neighborhood Services Cheri Coryea last week sent out some 100 invitations for a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 17, to celebrate the reopening of the Island Branch Library — and county commissioners have all responded they’ll be attending.

After the ceremony at the Holmes Beach library, 5701 Marina Drive, the public will be invited inside for a 4-7 p.m. open house. It will be available for regular library use, according to library supervisor Inez Tamanaha.

Regular library hours begin at 9 a.m., Oct. 18.

Tamanaha said, “We’re really happy with it. It’s been a nice change — so fresh and bright. I hope the people will really like it. We can’t wait to show it off.”

The branch has been closed since May, and a remodeling project began in June.

Manatee County operates the branch through its neighborhood services department and, according to Coryea, the county’s property management department ran the $230,000 remodeling project.

At the start, the county anticipated a smaller project and a September completion date.

With a $50,000 grant from the Friends of the Library and a $19,000 grant from a U.S. Americans with Disabilities Act grant, the county was able to add landscaping, parking lot stripes and exterior painting.

“The lighting is what you’re going to notice the most,” said Coryea. “It’s a lot brighter.”

The friends’ contribution was allocated to the circulation desk and the conference room, with a new corkboard and picture rail, she added.

Other improvements include a new utility room, new tile and fixtures in the bathrooms and updates in the kitchen.

“This was a total re-wiring of the whole place,” Coryea added.

Additional data lines, ports and wireless connections will now be able to connect with patron’s smartphones, tablets and laptops.

“It’s all back,” said Coryea about the books and other library materials.

Randy Bosley, a neighborhood services courier, moved more than 1,000 boxes of books over a three-week period in August-September, she said.

Also returning will be the 14 public computers.

The building was opened as a library Dec. 15, 1982. The summer renovations constitute the library’s first major remodel, according to library officials.

Holmes Beach building inspector Bob Shaffer was fired last month, but he’s back at work as president of a commercial and residential service company.

The Florida Secretary of State Division of Business Services lists Shaffer’s company as MyRepairServices Inc., however, Shaffer said he recently requested a name change to MyConsulting/Management and Repair Services Inc.

His current projects involve overseeing the permit process for some residential contractors in the area, he said, adding he is open to commercial work and expanding his geographical base.

Shaffer declined to name his clients.

After 10 years of working for the city of Holmes Beach and doing inspections on some 900 permits yearly, he said last week he did not resign before he left work Sept. 14, although he was considering it.

“I let them terminate me. As a result, I left nine weeks of sick pay on the table,” Shaffer said.

According to public works superintendent Joe Duennes, Shaffer went on a planned vacation until Sept. 30, and was expecting him to call during his trip if he decided to resign.

Shaffer said Duennes instead called him Sept. 18, and advised that the mayor had decided to terminate him. Shaffer also said the time off he had planned was a four-day vacation, not two weeks.

Shaffer said his termination was “because of the political atmosphere.”

He also said he’s not retained an attorney, and has had “quite an outpouring of condolences.

Asked by Holmes Beach city commissioners in August to begin a comprehensive study to support future possible living- area-to-lot-size restrictions, the city’s contracted planner, Bill Brisson — senior planner with LaRue Planning & Management Services — reported Sept. 25 that homes built since 2008 appear to be out of character for the beach community.

Commissioner Jean Peelen and two other commissioners, David Zaccagnino and Pat Morton, previously favored a .30 floor-area ratio, considered equivalent to Brisson’s preferred living-area ratio, at their June 12 meeting. Morton has since wavered in his support. Commissioners John Monetti and Sandy Haas-Martens have continuously opposed adding FAR or LAR to the building code.

Such restrictions are being proposed to limit the size of homes in proportion with lot sizes. The proposed restrictions were first recommended to the commission by a city focus group headed by Peelen.

“We believe the character of single-family development in the R-2 District can reasonably be described as having a living area ratio of .34 or less,” Brisson said, adding that development after 2008 occurred at a rate where “the occupancy potential of such units is out of character with the historic single-family development pattern in the R-2 District” of the past.

Zaccagnino asked whether Brisson’s study would support a city ordinance on living-area ratios.

City attorney Patricia Petruff responded, saying the study would give the city a rational basis if challenged in court. While it wouldn’t guarantee results of a lawsuit, she said, it documents the thought process behind the ordinance.

She warned commissioners, however, to watch for unintended consequences in such an ordinance. She said thwarting expectations of investors, such as those developers who might expect to build a second home on duplex under the current rules, would “guarantee a lawsuit.

“I think his document shows that there is a trend going on,” Petruff said. “And if you don’t do something about that trend, 10 years from now it will have flipped.” Eventually, the present R-2 development will turn into the majority, she added.

Peelen called Brisson’s report “timely” in view of the recent Manatee County Tourist Development Council’s rebranding of the island, Bradenton and other Manatee County areas.

“We are authentic Florida. So what we’re saying is that this trend is against authentic Florida,” she said.

Monetti disagreed with the premise of the study, aimed to support an ordinance that addresses what he says are perceived R-2 problems.

He asked Brisson if the trend is similar to others in upscale communities where land is a premium.

While the large houses in beach communities are common, according to Brisson, the duplex issue is unique, adding that his work for other communities has not been challenged.

“There are probably a lot of people out there who don’t view there is a problem,” said Monetti.

Monetti said the FAR/LAR issue has become a major component of the campaign for the Nov. 6 city election.

“Let the citizens of Holmes Beach decide. There are huge polar opposites in their vision about what should be allowed in their community,” Monetti said.

Brisson responded, “First of all, you’ll notice the big word draft.

“I would not expect you to adopt it until sometime after the elections,” he continued.

Zaccagnino favored continuing to work on establishing a LAR ordinance.

Brisson said he will be provide options other than LAR, including daylight plane, potential third-story setback changes and common foundation changes as alternatives to reduce the scale of homes.

Zaccagnino said Brisson’s study will be continued on future work session agendas.

But Holmes Beach commissioners don’t plan to change the controversial common footer building interpretation that allows what appears to be two homes on a duplex lot.

The common footer allows a builder on duplex property to avoid the 20- to 30-foot setback between units required for residential homes.

Zaccagnino led the discussion, but found no consensus Sept. 25 to overturn the current practice of two units with a superfluous common underground footer.

Commission candidate Judy Holmes Titsworth has called the practice a misinterpretation of the code and the cause for the continued loss of ground-level homes in the Residential-2 district.

Brisson addressed the issue, saying he dislikes the practice, because of the increased density encouraged by marketing of the homes that look like single-family homes, but doing away with it could result in a situation “where you’ll end up with the more overpowering mass.”

A disadvantage of a common footer, according to Brisson, is nobody keeps track of what is built by one owner on half of the lot, and the other owner “can take all of what’s allowed,” such as the amount of impervious surface on the parcel.

Brisson suggested the city could require the space now left between the two structures be included as part of the lot calculation, thereby reducing the overall size of the allowable construction.

Haas-Martens said, “So you have to sit back and say, would I rather look at one huge structure, owned by two different people and they have a common party wall, or do I want to look at two structures that look like one single-family home, but they’re connected however precariously?”

Haas-Martens said she prefers the aesthetics of the two-structures.

Zaccagnino agreed, saying two separate buildings on a duplex lot allows for more landscaping.

“I’m not willing to go back to the shared wall and the big monstrosity,” he added.

The city of Holmes Beach will dedicate a tree and bench in honor of the late Michael Snyder, a former planning commission member, at 11:30 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 13, at Third and Manatee Avenues.

City officials, wife Melissa Snyder, family and friends will be on hand for the ceremony to dedicate a black olive tree and plaque on a bench in the parkway near the driveway entrance to LaPensee Plumbing.

Michael Snyder died May 25. He had been a city planning commission member since December 2006, a member of the Kiwanis Club of Anna Maria Island and guardian ad litem for the 12th Judicial Circuit Court.

Snyder retired in Holmes Beach after a career in information technology at Unilever in Connecticut. He was born in Chicago and lived most of his life in New Jersey.

His wife Melissa, chair of the Holmes Beach parks and beautification committee, said the ceremony will be a celebration of life for family and friends.

Four cases of lewd acts in Robinson Preserve, 9900 block of 17th Avenue West, Bradenton, are being investigated by the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office, according to a press release from Manatee County Sheriff Brad Steube.

According to Steube, a man exposed himself on four occasions between Sept. 7 and Sept. 27. The ages of the victims range from 18 to 40.

On Sept. 7, a female riding her bike reported a man was standing near a bridge. As she rode by, the man turned toward her and exposed himself.

About two hours later a female reported a man fitting a similar description exposed himself as he was riding by on his bicycle.

On Sept. 15, a female, who was running through the preserve, reported a man on a bicycle exposed himself, and on Sept. 27, a man sitting on a bench exposed himself to another female.

The descriptions of the man varied somewhat, but according to the report, law enforcement believes it to be a man described as a light-skinned, 20-35 years old, about 6 feet tall, with a thin to medium build.

Anyone with information on these incidents is asked to call MCSO at 941-747-3011, ext. 2517, or Crime Stoppers at 866-634-TIPS.

Youth, adult soccer, MLB connection, horseshoes

Youth soccer continues at the Anna Maria Island Community Center, 407 Magnolia Ave., Anna Maria, with games played nightly Monday-Friday — a good way to enjoy the cooler evening weather.

There’s a good race for first place in the competitive 8-10 division, where each team in the six-team division is within a two-game winning streak of first place.

Lobstahs leads the pack with a 4-0-1 record. American Marine has a 3-1-1 record, while Tyler’s Ice Cream, Best Buy and Miller Electric follow in the standings with two wins each. LaPensee Plumbing is still looking for its first win on the season.

The 11-13 division has Steam Designs running away from the pack with a 4-0 record. Jen Crady Massage is in second with a 1-1-1 record, while LPAC is a point behind with a 1-2-0 record. Wash Family Construction follows at 0-3-1.

The regular season is about half over, but there’s still time for some up and down movement in the standings.

Steam Designs showed off its steamroller with a 6-3 victory over LPAC during 11-13 action Oct. 5. Nico Calleja and Gavin Sentman each scored a hat trick to lead Steam Designs to victory. Tyler Pearson, Sullivan Ferreira and Zach Fernandez each notched a goal to lead LPAC in the loss.

The second 11-13 game of the evening saw Crady Massage take a 4-1 victory over Wash behind a pair of goals from Adra Dupuis. George Lardas and Abby Achor each added a goal for Crady in the victory. Ben Connors notched the lone goal for Wash in the loss.

Edgewater Realty cooled off West Coast Air Conditioning by a 5-1 score during 14-17 division action Oct. 1. Kieran Grumley and Derek Pulch scored two goals each, while Joey Carder notched one goal to complete the scoring for Edgewater. Sibella Glavan scored the lone goal for WCAC in the loss.

Lobstahs showed its first-place style with a 6-1 victory over Best Buy during 8-10 division action Oct. 5. Chris Snyder and Jack Groves scored two goals each, while Catherine Calhoun and Allie Connelly each scored one goal in the victory. Jaclyn Schlossberg notched the lone goal for Best Buy in the loss.

Miller Electric kept LaPensee Plumbing winless with a 7-3 drubbing during 8-10 division action on Oct. 2. Ava Zink exploded for four goals to lead Miller, which also received two goals from Silas Banyas and one goal from Dalton Guthrie in the victory. Sam Bowers led Lapensee with a pair of goals while Anthony Monetti added one.

American Marine edged Tyler’s Ice Cream 4-3 in the second division game of the evening behind four goals from Tyler Brewer. Daniel Sentman scored two goals to lead Tyler’s, which also received one goal from Giana Sparks in the loss.

American Marine gave Lobstah’s its first blemish on the season, managing a 3-3 tie during 8-10 division action Oct. 1. Tyler Brewer scored all three goals for American Marine while Catherine Calhoun scored twice for Lobstahs, which also received one goal from Chris Snyder in the tie.

Miller Electric shocked Best Buy 3-1 in the second 8-10 division game of the night. Silas Banyas led Miller Electric with two goals and Callen Achor added one goal in the victory. Jaclyn Schlossberg led Best Buy with one goal in the loss.

10 MLB players up for Hutch Award

Ten distinguished Major League Baseball players have been nominated for the 48th Hutch Award, and will be honored Jan. 30 at Safeco Field in Seattle. The award winner will be announced this fall.

Baseball icon Lou Pinella will give the keynote address at an honors luncheon and proceeds will benefit early cancer detection research at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.

The Hutch Award is given annually to a MLB player who best exemplifies the honor, courage and dedication of baseball legend and manager Fred Hutchinson, who succumbed to cancer at age 45.

Hutchinson came in the 1950s to live with wife Patsy and kids on AMI before cancer cut off his soaring baseball career. He is credited with fueling the community center and baseball field here, and Patsy and son Joe Hutchinson live here still. Joe owns a business in Holmes Beach, Beach Style Recycle Boutique.

The Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center — founded by Fred’s brother, Dr. Bill Hutchinson — is an independent, nonprofit research institution dedicated to the understanding, treatment and prevention of cancer and related diseases.

The recipient is selected by a vote of surviving former winners. Since 1965 when Mickey Mantle accepted the inaugural award, 45 players have been honored.

For more information, visit www.fhcrc.org or follow the Hutchinson Center online.

Adult soccer action

Adult coed soccer action continues at the Anna Maria Island Community Center. Slim’s Place has jumped out to a 5-point lead in the standings with a 4-0-0 record. Sato Real Estate is in second, five points behind with a 2-1-1 record, closely followed by Wash Family Construction, Florida Discount Signs and Pink & Navy Boutique follow in the standings with 2-2 records and 6 points, while Jessie’s Island Store, Island Pest Control and Moss & Barnard Construction round out the standings.

Sato edged Discount Signs 3-2 to open Oct. 4 soccer action. Diego Felipe led the way with two goals and an assist while Lexi Braxton added one. Brett Laudicina scored two goals to lead Florida Discount Signs in the loss.

Slim’s Place remained undefeated in first place thanks to a 4-1 victory over Island Pest Control. Danny Anderson notched a hat trick to lead Slim’s, which also received one goal from Sean Sanders in the victory. Richie Subbiondo notched the lone goal for Island Pest Control, while Pedro Gonzalez made 17 saves in goal.

Jessie’s Island Store outlasted Moss & Barnard Construction 8-7 in the third game of the evening. Zach Gilliland and Matt Plummer each had three goals and an assist, while B.J. Grant notched a pair of goals to lead Jessie’s in the victory. Brent Moss scored four goals to lead Moss & Barnard, which also received goals from Omar Polar, Ryan Moss and Al Bernard in the loss.

Pink & Navy slipped past Wash Family Construction 3-2 in the final game of the night thanks to an own goal by Wash. Aaron Parkin and Lindsey Weaver scored for Pink & Navy, while Damir Glavan notched both goals for Wash FC in the loss.

Horseshoe news

Three teams advanced to the knockout round during Oct. 6 horseshoe action at the Anna Maria City hall horseshoe pits. Tim Sofran and Tom Rhodes drew the bye into the finals and watched as Norm Good and Sam Samuels outlasted Ron Pepka and Jeff Moore 23-20.

Samuels-Good then dominated Sofran-Rhodes 21-7 in the championship game.

Play gets under way at 9 a.m. every Wednesday and Saturday at the Anna Maria City Hall pits. Warmups begin at 8:45 a.m. followed by random team selection.

Fishing peaks with more common, cooler weather

As fall shifts into forward, fishing around Anna Maria Island doesn’t cool off, it gets hotter — and the weather brings a variety of species to target. Local fishing is ready to peak and we should have weeks of great action before the chill of winter.

Migratory species such as bonito, Spanish mackerel, jack crevalle and blue runners are ravaging bait schools while on their way south to warmer waters.

On the flats, redfish are schooling in unbelievable numbers and will hit just about anything you cast in front of them.

Catch-and-release snook are moving from the beaches back to the flats to fatten up before heading for the warmer waters of creeks and rivers where they spend the winter.

Flounder are taking up residence along the beaches and shallow water reefs in exceptional numbers.

And, with only a few weeks of gag grouper season left, its time to get out and fill the freezer with some tasty fish.

No matter what type of fishing you enjoy, now is the time to get out and experience some of the best action of the year.

Capt. Mark Howard says the fishing has turned on. Catch-and-release snook, spotted seatrout and redfish have been feeding on the abundant schools of bait gathering at the mouth of Tampa Bay and on the flats.

Redfish have been all over the flats, gathering in schools on the incoming tides and feeding heavily on shiners. Howard suggests using a popping cork to keep the bait out of the seagrass.

He has been fishing potholes close to the mangroves and chumming with shiners to get the bite fired up. Dock fishing for reds has produced good results last week. “Cut off the tail of the shiner or pinfish to cripple the bait and use a split shot to keep the bait tight to the pilings,” Howard says. Catch-and-release snook are feeding in the same areas as the redfish.

Spotted seatrout have been steady with some nice keepers mixed in the schools. Howard says, “Use a circle hook and fish over grass 2 to 8 feet deep to get a nice bag of fillets.” The gator trout have been in very shallow water in the early mornings feeding on shiners. The speckled trout bite should only get better with the advancing fall weather.

Looking forward, the tides will present some excellent fishing opportunities with a strong falling tide in the afternoon as we move toward the new moon. The steady move toward lower water temperatures will increase the fishing opportunities in our area. “Look for the near-shore fishing scene to explode as the baitfish make their run south and the predators follow the bait migration,” Howard says.

Johnny Keyes at Island Discount Tackle also is hearing of good action occurring just off the beaches of Anna Maria Island.

Beach fishers targeting migratory species such as Spanish mackerel, ladyfish, blue runners, jack crevalle and shark are reporting great action during the morning hours. For everything but sharks, beach fishers are using silver spoons, white buck-tail jigs or Gotcha plugs to hook up. Those wanting to catch shark are using small chunks of Spanish mackerel or jack crevalle on a shark leader to bend a rod.

Flounder are making a showing on the beaches. Try bouncing a buck tail jig tipped with a piece of squid or a strip of Berkley Gulp to get these flatties to bite. Best areas on the beach to find flounder will contain structure such as piers, natural reef or rock bottom.

Capt. Warren Girle is fishing Sarasota Bay in search of schooling redfish. The experienced Girle is finding these schools with little effort. Once located, Girle is using artificials such as top water plugs to get these schooling fish to bite. Average size of the reds is 24-27 inches with bigger fish mixed in.

On deeper grass flats, Girle is catching spotted seatrout and bluefish on soft plastics. By using a 1/4-ounce jig head combined with a MirrOlure Lil John, Girle is managing to catch trout up to 22 inches. The bluefish are being caught in the same areas, on the same lures and are averaging 4 pounds.

Jeff Medley at the South Pier bait shop on the south Sunshine Skyway bridge fishing pier is seeing Spanish mackerel ravaging schools of bait fish whether the tide is incoming or outgoing. And even though it’s a few weeks early, kingfish are beginning to get in on the action.

“On more than one occasion,” says Medley, “I’m seeing Spanish mackerel being caught and then eaten by kingfish before they can be landed onto the pier.”

Most kings being caught are schooley-size, 20-30 inches, although fish up to 50 inches are being hooked. Best bet to catch either the Spanish or the king mackerel is to use silver spoons or large Gotcha plugs. You may want to try using live shiners, too. If you’re targeting the kings, try bout 8 inches of 29-pound hardwire attached to a stout 2/0 hook. Bait up with the biggest shiners you can find and cast it out around the school of feeding fish.

At night, pier fishers are catching good numbers of mangrove snapper and flounder. Using either live shiners or fresh-cut pieces of a shiner, pier fishers are reeling up mangrove snapper in the 16-inch range. The same applies for flounder, although fish up to 20 inches are being caught nightly.

Capt. Rick Gross of Fishy Business fishing charters is fishing southern Tampa Bay for redfish. By targeting schooling fish, Gross is leading his clients to non-stop rod-bending action. Once Gross locates a school, he anchors the boat and chums with live shiners to keep the reds in the area. Average size of the redfish has been 18-25 inches.

In the same areas as the redfish, Gross is managing to hook up some catch-and-release snook. Most are in the 22-inch range, although fish exceeding 30 inches is common.

Moving to deeper grass, Gross is targeting spotted seatrout. Again, Gross is anchoring and chumming to get the bite going. By doing this, Gross is attracting Spanish mackerel to the boat, which adds a little variety between hookups.

Jim Malfese at the Rod & Reel Pier is seeing Spanish mackerel being caught as long as there are plenty of bait schools around the pier. “When the bait is here,” says Malfese, “so are the mackerel.” Small white jigs or silver spoons are getting the job done. Average size of the macks this past week was 18-20 inches.

Pier fishers targeting other species are managing to pull black drum and mangrove snapper out from underneath the pier. For either of these fish you can use live shiners or shrimp to get hooked up. To be successful, try using some 20-pound fluorocarbon leader with a split shot and a live bait hook for your rig.

On a final note, Malfese says earlier in the week, they had 11 manatees that decided to spend a couple of hours hanging around the pier. In the gin-clear water, Malfese spotted a cobia riding along with one of the manatees, although no one was able to cast a bait quick enough before the cobia saw the pier and departed.

It just goes to show, you never know what to expect on a trip to the Rod & Reel Pier.

• Sept. 13, 503 Pine Ave., petit theft. A complainant from the Village Cafe reported someone stole their American flag from the outdoor flagpole. It is valued at $200.

• Sept. 19, 800 block of North Shore Drive, counterfeit. A complainant reported to a Manatee County Sheriff’s Office deputy that he was in possession of a suspicious $10 bill. The complainant said he was unsure of where he took possession of the currency.

• Sept. 28, 200 block of Gladiolus Street, suspicious incident. A man reported an unknown person knocked on his door. When he asked who it was, a female voice responded with a comment about pizza. A woman in the residence began a conversation with the suspicious person through the closed door, while the man went around the back of the house to identify the subject. While he was making his way around the house, the suspicious person cursed at the woman and fled the area. The man reported it was the second such incident.

Anna Maria is policed by the MCSO.

Bradenton Beach

• No new reports.

Bradenton Beach is policed by the BBPD.

Cortez

• No new reports.

Cortez is policed by the MCSO

Holmes Beach

• Sept. 28, 699 Manatee Ave. W., shoplifting. A 31-year-old Holmes Beach man was arrested on shoplifting charges after video at CVS Pharmacy captured him opening a can of Red Bull inside the store, drinking it and leaving without paying. According to the report, video had captured the same man two days prior leaving the store with a can of Red Bull without paying.

• Sept. 28, 4700 Gulf Drive, found property. An administrator at Anna Maria Elementary School turned in a found handbag to a Holmes Beach Police Department officer. Inside the bag were three syringes and two metal spoons. The spoons were covered with burn marks and a white residue. According to the report, the bag was found near a crash site under investigation for DUI. Police say the bag is similar to a larger purse found in the vehicle of the at-fault driver. The incident is under investigation.

• Sept. 23, 100 block of 31st Street, burglary. A representative of an island real estate business was checking a rental home before guests arrived. The complainant made contact with a man inside the home, who claimed to be the guest, but it was later determined the guests were still out of state. The complainant reported the man was likely a squatter and police found an unlocked window. During an inspection of the home, two flat-screen televisions, valued at $400, were found to be missing.

• Sept. 29, 400 block of 71st Street, theft. Police responded to a report of stolen and damaged political signs. The signs were valued at $45.

Holmes Beach is policed by the HBPD.

Streetlife is based on incident reports and narratives from the Bradenton Beach and Holmes Beach police departments and Manatee County Sheriff’s Office.